Issue link: https://htpgraphics.uberflip.com/i/464860
AGRICULTURE EDITION 21 TERRAVESTA | Terravesta T erravesta is working to deliver UK bioenergy targets by aiming to grow the perennial energy crop Miscanthus on 350,000 ha of farmland by 2030. Successive UK governments have found biomass targets hard to deliver. We do not have sufficient commercial forestry in the UK, and reliance on imported product leaves UK energy policy vulnerable to price variation with changes in world demand. In 2014, Miscanthus was grown on 12,000 ha. Spatial analysis has identified a UK land potential of at least 350,000 ha for Miscanthus, capable of delivering 22 TW h of energy. Can a straightforward solid commercial plan deliver confidence for this sector to grow? Building on 10 years of solid support for Miscanthus from the UK's largest power station, Drax, a decade of dedicated breeding by the UK's leading grass-breeding institute, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, and 10 years of practical grower experience and agronomy, Terravesta has created a supply chain that delivers, for the first time, a viable long-term market for Miscanthus grown anywhere in the country. Terravesta has developed a sound business model for growers, and a long-term, bankable, high-quality energy product for end users, with lower greenhouse gas emissions than wood (according to Dr Astley Hastings, University of Aberdeen). A good crop at core – a double win Crucially, at farm level, this needs to be a really good enterprise. Having grown the crop since 2006, Terravesta co-founder William Cracroft-Eley knows that it can be. With grower forums, establishment and agronomy expertise, clear specification and operational guidance, Terravesta supports growers to achieve the best from the crop. » Founded in 2011 by William Cracroft-Eley, arable farmer and Miscanthus grower, and George Robinson, fresh-food brand and supply chain entrepreneur » Product: energy supply on 10-year contracts » 2012 first crop, from 36 growers, supplying 12,000 tonnes » 2014 crop, from 180 growers, supplying 30,000 tonnes » 2014 energy sales 132,000,000 kW h (475,000 GJ) » Supply-chain security via index-linked grower and end-user contracts » A business with 'customers' at each end Cutting Miscanthus in February/ March – the crop dries naturally in the field before being baled ABOUT TERRAVESTA LTD Co-founder William Cracroft-Eley